Ryder Cup 2014: Gleneagles the perfect venue says Paul Lawrie

Paul Lawrie says Gleneagles will make a perfect Ryder Cup venue as he eyes a place in the European Team on home soil.

Paul Lawrie starts the defence of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Lawrie returned to Ryder Cup action last year in Chicago - 13 years after his only previous appearance - to help Jose Maria Olazabal to a memorable triumph.

The 44-year-old is now desperate to cement a place in Paul McGinley's side for Gleneagles - a venue which he thinks will make a perfect Ryder Cup venue and where he won the Johnnie Walker Championship last year.

"It's a great venue because of the fact that it's centrally located means it's accessible for people so the crowds will be huge and the atmosphere will be fantastic," said Lawrie.

"The new 18th is a great hole for getting people around about the green and the fairway. It's an exciting course. There's a couple of short par fours and a couple of long par fours so there'll be birdies and bogeys and you can't really ask for anything more."

Local knowledge

With winning form over the PGA Centenary Course, Lawrie would seem to be in a strong position to make McGinley's side even if a captain's pick was needed.

Having already spoken to McGinley, Lawrie says that local knowledge and experience of playing in bad weather will also be in his favour if it comes down to wildcard selections for the team.

"Paul sat down with me for about an hour in China and we chatted about bits and pieces," Lawrie sad ahead of the defence of his title at Gleneagles.

"He mentioned that he felt we might have waterproofs on a little bit this time next year and there's no-one that prefers a jacket more than me. I got the feeling he wanted me as part of the team and he did a good job.

"He's good at that, he's a great lad and he's been around the Ryder Cup so many times. He knows what to do. His man-management skills are excellent so I'd love to be part of his team."

Eye on Gleneagles

Lawrie admits that while he wanted to make the team for Medinah in its own right, he also had an eye on Gleneagles and knew that it would help his chances of making a home appearance.

"I wanted to get in Jose's team because I've got a lot of respect for him and I knew how much the Ryder Cup meant to him," he added.

"But I also felt it would be easier to get into the Gleneagles team if I got on Jose's team. If you go 15 years since you've played in the Ryder Cup, I'm not sure it's kind of doable for somebody. So I thought I had to get into the Medinah team to give me a better chance of getting in the Gleneagles team, which I've done.

"It would be unbelievable to get on the team again, but when it means so much to you it hurts your performance. I managed to get the balance right last time when I was desperate to get in, but it's a hard thing to get right.

"I got it wrong a couple of times. I was desperate to get on Sam Torrance's team (postponed from 2001 to 2002) and tried too hard, played too much and got it wrong. I got it right last time and I really want to be on the team here. That would be cool."